This new Fellows program is different from the Capital Fellows Program, although it shares the goal of strengthening leadership and staff capacity in California. The EPFP is a professional development initiative for midcareer leaders in education policy. It is designed to build strong networks of professionals that work across the K12 –postsecondary education boundary, and to connect the state policymaking community with regional education practitioners. Education Policy Fellows participate in a nine-month program to explore education priorities, strategies for improving student learning and success, and challenges through the K-16 education continuum.

Fellows meet regularly in different parts of the state throughout the year long program. For this first intensive weekend at Cal Poly Pomona, Fellows engaged in rich dialogues led by some of the top education policy leaders in California, including Pat Callan of the Higher Education Policy Institute, former State Senator Gary Hart, Carl Cohn of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, and Lisa Cardoza, who is the chief of staff for the president of Sacramento State.

The California Fellows join a national network of approximately 300 current Fellows and more than 3,000 alumni from 17 other EPFP sites across the country, led by the Institute for Educational Leadership. The California program’s curriculum is built around the three pillars of the national EPFP program: policy, leadership, and networking.

Applications for the 2017-18 cohort will be accepted starting this spring.